Select

Brampton Upgrade In FCA-Unifor

Arrangements to update an old paint facility at the Brampton Assembly Plant are in the works. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are writing up another agreement with Unifor, the union speaking to the automaker’s hourly employees in Canada.

Talking to reporters at an event in Sterling Heights, MI on Aug. 26, Sergio Marchionne said the paint shop in Ontario is in need of some updates. New paint facilities, such as those built in Sterling Heights and Toledo, costs millions of dollars.

FCA is the maker of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, and the Charger at Brampton. The carmaker invested billions into their plant in Windsor, Ontario, and into making the Chrysler Pacifica. They will meet with Unifor about Brampton’s future and what the plant must do to stay feasible, Marchionne said. He also adds that they need to make a competitive investment with Brampton.

However, Unifor, which is negotiating with every one of the three Detroit automakers to replace contracts that terminate Sept. 19, will pick a target organization for bargaining this week.

Built in 1986, Brampton Assembly and its satellite stamping plant have more than 3,550 employees, with more than 3,300 of them hourly. Marchionne, who is a Canadian national, suggests that FCA will be unable to depend on Canadian elected authorities to offer exchange incentives for building another paint shop in Brampton.

More From Marchionne

He brought up how FCA’s incentive request for its Windsor investment turned into a political football game during elections in 2014.

He says that one example of how they tried to get social support for investing in Windsor was unfortunate due to politicians becoming involved. However, they ended up investing in Windsor anyway. He wouldn’t comment on the requirements for the future of Brampton.